Hand grip for exercising and rehabilitation

ABSTRACT

A hand grip includes a hand portion structured and arranged to at least partially cover a palm of a wearer&#39;s hand, a plurality of holes in the hand portion, a wrist strap extending from a base of the hand portion, and a finger strap extending from the hand portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/500,494 filed Jun. 23, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hand grips to be worn during activities such as exercising and rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Various situations arise in which it would be desirable to secure a user's hand around the handle of exercise equipment for various types of exercises and/or rehabilitation. For example, a rehabilitation patient may need to grasp a handle on an exercise device. In addition a user may need assistance in gripping various equipment such as pulleys, exercise bikes, dumbbells, therapy weight bars, hand exercisers, sports activities/equipment, and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to provide a hand grip that includes a hand portion structured and arranged to at least partially cover a palm of a wearer's hand, a plurality of holes in the hand portion, a wrist strap extending from a base of the hand portion, and a finger strap extending from the hand portion.

These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the front side of a hand grip in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the back side of the hand grip.

FIGS. 3-8 illustrate sequential steps for putting the hand grip on the hand of a user.

FIG. 9 illustrates the use of the hand grip during a hand crank exercise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hand grip 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes a hand or palm portion 12 structured and arranged to at least partially cover the palm of the wearer's hand. The hand grip includes a plurality of holes for receiving a user's thumb and/or fingers. In the illustrated embodiment, the hand portion includes a thumb hole 14 and two finger holes 16, 18. One of the finger holes is shown to be closer to the thumb hole than the other finger hole to accommodate the natural spacing between the thumb and fingers. The hand grip also includes a wrist strap 20 extending horizontally from the base of the hand portion, and a finger strap 22 extending vertically from the hand portion.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the front surface 24 of the hand grip comprises a non-slip material that helps the wearer securely grasp articles such as exercise or rehabilitation equipment. The non-slip material may be provided over the entire front surface of the hand grip, or over a portion thereof. The hand grip may be made from a single layer of material; however, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the hand grip comprises at least two sheets of material 26, 28. For example, the front and back sides may be made from the same or similar non-slip material attached together by any suitable means such as sewing or adhesive. The layers of non-slip material may be made from commercially available materials, such as high friction coefficient fabric comprising a non-slip PVC layer on a flexible PPE substrate backing layer sold by Harrison Technologies Inc. under the designation Toughtek.

A layer of stretchable cushioning fabric 30 may be sandwiched between the two non-slip layers, for example in the hand region of the hand grip. The stretchable cushioning material has a thumb hole 32 and finger holes 34, 36 of smaller size than the corresponding thumb and finger holes of the non-slip layers, such that the wearer's thumb and fingers contact the stretchable cushioning material during use rather than contacting the edges of the thumb and finger holes of the non-slip layers. A means to secure the position of the stretchable cushioning material relative to the top and bottom sheets of material, such as stitching, adhesive, or other fastening means, can be included to keep the stretchable cushioning material centered in the holes.

Additional padding may be provided at any desired location. For example, in the embodiment shown in the figures, one or more padded disks 38 can be provided between the two sheets of material 26, 28 in the hand portion. Such padded disks can be included where cushioning is desired, for example at the base of the palm to provide additional padding for that portion of the hand during use.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wrist strap may be formed from the same non-slip layers of material of the hand portion. However, the wrist strap could alternatively be made from a different piece of material, such as a strap that is attached to the hand portion. As more fully described below, the wrist strap and hand portion can include Velcro hook and loop portions 40, 42 for securing the wrist strap around the user's wrist. While Velcro is shown in the figures, any other suitable means may be used to secure the wrist strap, such as a buckle.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the finger strap comprises a strip of material sewn or otherwise attached to an extended portion of the non-slip layers. As shown most clearly in FIG. 1, a buckle 46 can be attached to the front side of the hand grip by means of a loop of strapping material 48 sewn to the non-slip layers. As more fully described below, during use the end of the finger strap can be inserted through the buckle and folded back on itself to engage loop and hook Velcro fasteners 50, 52 located at different regions on the finger strap. In this embodiment, the wrist strap and the finger strap extend from the hand portion at about a right angle with respect to each other.

FIGS. 3-8 illustrate the steps of placing the hand grip on a user's hand. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the user's thumb, index finger and pinky finger are inserted through their respective thumb and finger holes, with the back face of the hand grip contacting the user's hand.

As shown in FIG. 5, after the user's thumb and fingers are inserted, the wrist strap is secured around the user's wrist by wrapping the wrist strap around the wrist and securing the Velcro strips together.

As shown in FIG. 6, after the wrist strap is secured, the finger strap is used to curl the user's fingers into a loose fist position by inserting the tip of the finger strap through the buckle, folding it back on itself, and securing the strip to the back face of the hand grip with Velcro fasteners. The finger strap has sufficient width to cover the user's fingers. The thumb can extend from the side of the hand grip.

FIG. 7 shows the back side of the user's hand with the hand grip in the secured position.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing the user's thumb and fingers formed into a loose fist position when the hand grip is secured. As more fully described below, the user's hand may be secured in the loose fist position around the handle of various types of exercise equipment.

The hand grip may be provided in left-handed and right-handed versions, and may be provided in any desirable size. For example, the hand grip may be provided in small sizes for pediatric use, as well as medium and larger adult sizes as necessary.

In one embodiment of the invention, the hand grip may be used to secure the user's hand around the handle of exercise equipment for various types of exercises and/or rehabilitation. For example, a typical routine for a rehabilitation patient may be as follows: (1) a therapist places the hand grip on the affected hand of a patient; (2) the hand and grip are placed on an exercise device while the finger strap is extended; and (3) the finger strap is wrapped around the exercise device to thereby close and secure the patient's hand around the device. An illustration of a hand grip securing the hands of a user to a hand crank exercise is shown in FIG. 9.

In addition to the exercise described above, the hand grip may be used for various different types of exercises such as pulleys, exercise bikes, dumbbells, therapy weight bars, hand exercisers, sports activities/equipment, and the like.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the hand grip may be used by various types of rehabilitation patients, such as post-stroke, quadriplegics, rheumatoid arthritis, nerve/muscle injuries, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.

Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

1. A hand grip comprising: a hand portion structured and arranged to at least partially cover a palm of a wearer's hand; a plurality of holes in the hand portion; a wrist strap extending from a base of the hand portion; and a finger strap extending from the hand portion.
 2. The hand grip of claim 1, wherein the hand portion comprises: a layer of stretchable fabric sandwiched between two layers of material.
 3. The hand grip of claim 3, wherein at least one of the layers of material comprises a non-slip material.
 4. The hand grip of claim 2, wherein plurality of holes comprises a thumb hole and two finger holes
 5. The hand grip of claim 4, wherein the stretchable fabric includes a thumb hole and two finger holes positioned in the thumb hole and two finger holes of the hand portion, wherein the thumb hole and two finger holes of the stretchable fabric are smaller than the thumb hole and two finger holes of the hand portion.
 6. The hand grip of claim 1, wherein the hand portion comprises: two layers of material and a cushion between the two layers.
 7. The hand grip of claim 6, wherein at least one of the layers of material comprises a non-slip material.
 8. The hand grip of claim 1, further comprising: a fastening device for securing the wrist strap in a position around a wrist of a user.
 9. The hand grip of claim 8, wherein the fastening device comprises a hook and loop fastener.
 10. The hand grip of claim 1, further comprising: a fastening device for securing the finger strap in a position around fingers of a user.
 11. The hand grip of claim 10, wherein the fastening device comprises a buckle.
 12. The hand grip of claim 1, wherein the wrist strap and the finger strap extend from the hand portion at about a right angle with respect to each other. 